Insect Locomotion on Land

Abstract

In order for an insect (or any animal) to walk, it must be able to coordinate the movements of its legs. From a biologist’s point of view, one interesting aspect of walking behavior is the problem of how animals achieve the necessary coordination. This problem is especially acute in insects and other arthropods because of the number of legs involved. While there are many interesting aspects to the problem, in this article I will consider primarily two questions: (1) What sequences of leg movements do insects actually use as they walk? (2) How well do we understand the factors which, during walking, underlie the movements of individual legs?